A vehicle is well-known that includes an engine, an electric motor, and a clutch (also referred to as a direct clutch) capable of achieving a mechanically directly-coupled state of a power transmission path between the engine/the electric motor and drive wheels. It is proposed that if a pull-in (drop) of drive torque occurs in such a vehicle when the engine is started during motor running using only the electric motor as a drive force source for running, torque of the electric motor is increased to suppress an engine start shock due to the pull-in. For example, this corresponds to a vehicle described in Patent Document 1. Patent Document 1 discloses that, in a control device of a vehicle including an engine, an electric motor, and a torque converter with a lockup clutch disposed between the engine and drive wheels, when the torque of the electric motor is increased at the engine start from the motor running, the lockup clutch is slip-engaged depending on a margin torque, i.e., a difference between the maximum torque that can be output by the electric motor and a generated torque of the electric motor during the motor running, so as to more advantageously alleviate the engine start shock. Specifically, Patent Document 1 discloses that, if the torque of the electric motor is increased at the engine start from the motor running, a slip amount of the lockup clutch is made smaller when the margin torque of the electric motor (i.e., an available torque increase amount) is larger. In particular, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, when the margin torque of the electric motor is relatively larger, the pull-in at the engine start can sufficiently be compensated by the electric motor and, therefore, the slip amount of the lockup clutch is made smaller and, when the margin torque is relatively smaller, the slip amount of the lockup clutch is made larger to alleviate the engine start shock.